December 14th, 1961
October 19, 2015 8:28 AM Subscribe
On December 14th, 1961 the worst traffic accident in Colorado history occurred when a Union Pacific passenger train struck a school bus, killing 20 children. But by 2007 it had been largely forgotten by all but those personally affected by it. Writer Kevin Vaughn felt the tragedy should be remembered and painstakingly researched a 33 part article for The Rocky Mountain News that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2008. But the paper stopped its presses for good in 2009, and Vaughn's work disappeared from the internet.
The only copy of the internet version of the article was on a DVD Vaughn used in lectures. He wanted to resurrect his work, but much of the code was outdated and copyright holders of the source materials and others had to give permission for the original work to be put back on the web. Last month it finally came together and The Crossing is now back up in its original form. A difficult read at times, but a worthy remembrance of those who died and the long-lasting effects of the tragedy. (Found via Longreads)
The only copy of the internet version of the article was on a DVD Vaughn used in lectures. He wanted to resurrect his work, but much of the code was outdated and copyright holders of the source materials and others had to give permission for the original work to be put back on the web. Last month it finally came together and The Crossing is now back up in its original form. A difficult read at times, but a worthy remembrance of those who died and the long-lasting effects of the tragedy. (Found via Longreads)
This post was deleted for the following reason: Looks like we just had a post around that Atlantic article about Vaughn's work disappearing, maybe add any details here that are missing to that thread. -- cortex
Thanks for posting this.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:03 AM on October 19, 2015
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:03 AM on October 19, 2015
I wonder how much great journalism we're losing with the consolidation of newspapers and ending of print and paywalling of online archives. Without the shepherding of the writer like this, I wonder how much stuff we're losing.
posted by sleeping bear at 9:27 AM on October 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by sleeping bear at 9:27 AM on October 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
I remember reading about this as a "Drama in Real Life" story in the Reader's Digest when I was a kid. Scared the crap out of me.
posted by JanetLand at 9:46 AM on October 19, 2015
posted by JanetLand at 9:46 AM on October 19, 2015
We really can't count on the web.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:49 AM on October 19, 2015
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:49 AM on October 19, 2015
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posted by Gelatin at 9:02 AM on October 19, 2015 [3 favorites]